Method and apparatus for cleaning bottle filling devices after bottle breakage

Abstract

A method of cleaning bottle filling devices after bottle breakage in filling stations circulating in bottle filling machines, especially counterpressure filling machines. That filling station in which the bottle breakage has occurred is freed of glass fragments by spraying liquid thereagainst, while continuing with the machine rotation and still during the same circulation. At least during the first machine circulation subsequent to the bottle breakage and the liquid spraying, the filling device is rinsed with the liquid supplied to the bottle to be filled. After discharge from the machine circulation, the filled bottle is separated from the filled bottles of the remaining filling stations. The apparatus for carrying out this method includes: a registering and storage unit synchronously connected in steps with the circulation; a sensing device arranged at the filling station circulation path of the filling machine and having sensing elements which are responsive to bottle breakage and which enter a bottle-loss marking or indication into the registering and storage unit; an ejection device, in the region of the discharge element of the filling machine, which upon actuation ejects or separates-out one bottle at a time from the row of bottles leaving the filling machine; and a counting chain of relays is connected to the registering and storing unit for receiving information, and for emitting switching pulses in the feeding or advancing step spacing between the sensing device and the ejection device is connected to a control device which in turn actuates the ejection device.

What we claim is: 
     
       1. A method of cleaning bottle-filling device including filling elements defining a liquid conveying path having fine glass splinters and fragments therein inaccessible to an external spray after bottle breakage occurring occasionally in filling stations circulating in bottle filling machines, especially counterpressure filling machines, said method including the steps of: spraying liquid for a thorough and basic interior cleaning of the liquid conveying path with the filling elements as well as against that filling station in which the bottle breakage occurred, also to free said last mentioned filling station of glass splinters and fragments, while continuing with the filling machine circulation and still during the same circulation during which breakage occurred;   rinsing the pertaining filling device, with the liquid supplied to the bottle to be filled, at least during the first machine circulation following the circulation during which said bottle breakage and liquid spraying took place, a bottle being filled, as a result of said rinsing, during each circulation during which said rinsing occurs;   discharging from said filling machine the bottles filled during said rinsing; and   separating-out the bottle filled during said rinsing of the filling device and the interior cleaning of the liquid conveying path, said bottle being taken from the unbroken bottles filled at the remaining filling stations where no breakage occurred during the circulation prior to said circulation during which breakage occurred.   
     
     
       2. A method according to claim 1, which includes repeating said rinsing and separating-out steps for the three consecutive machine circulations following the circulation during which said bottle breakage and liquid spraying took place. 
     
     
       3. A method according to claim 1, in which said bottles filled during said rinsing step are closed or capped prior to said separating-out step. 
     
     
       4. An apparatus for cleaning bottle-filling devices of filling stations including filling elements defining a liquid conveying path having fine glass fragments and splinters therein inaccessible to an external spray after bottle breakage in a bottle filling machine, especially in counterpressure filling machines, having a plurality of filling stations guided in a circulation path therein, said apparatus comprising: a registering and storage or memory unit synchronously connected in steps with said circulation path and being provided with a number of registering and storage elements at least adjustable to the number of filling stations in said circulation;   a sensing unit associated with said filling station circulation path and including a first and second sensing element, said sensing elements being responsive to bottle breakage and being provided to enter a bottle-loss marking into said registering and memory unit;   means for rinsing the pertaining filling device for a thorough and basic interior cleaning of the liquid conveying path including the filling elements, as well as the filling station being rinsed with the liquid supplied to the bottle to be filled used for interior and external removal of glass fragments and splinters;   a discharge device for receiving bottles from said filling machine;   an ejection device, located in the region of said discharge device, which upon actuation separates out a bottle filled during the rinsing of the filling device and the interior cleaning of the liquid conveying path, said bottle being taken from the row of previously unbroken filled bottles leaving said filling machine;   a counting chain of relays having a number of counting stations, equipped with storage elements, equaling an integral multiple of the number of filling stations in said circulation plus the necessary advancing steps between said second sensing element and said ejection device, said counting chain of relays being connected to said registering and storage unit for receiving information; and   a control device operatively associated therewith, said counting chain of relays, in the advancing step spacing between said sensing unit and said ejection device, being connected to said control device for emitting switching pulses, said control device in turn being provided to actuate said ejection device.   
     
     
       5. An apparatus according to claim 4, in which said control device is provided with a control pulse receiver in the same advancing step distance as the number of advancing steps between said second sensing element and said ejection device. 
     
     
       6. An apparatus according to claim 5, in which the number of counting stations and storage elements of said counting chain of relays equals three times the number of filling stations in said circulation path plus the number of advancing steps between said second sensing element and said ejection device. 
     
     
       7. An apparatus according to claim 5, in which the number of counting stations and storage elements of said counting chain of relays is at least adjustable to the value equalling three times the number of filling stations in said circulation path plus the number of advancing steps between said second sensing element and said ejection device. 
     
     
       8. An apparatus according to claim 7, in which said registering and storage unit and said first and said second sensing elements are embodied in such a way that a marking is placed in the appropriate registering and storage element for each filling station occupied by a bottle and passing said first sensing element, and that this marking is again erased by said second sensing element upon sensing said bottle in the same filling station. 
     
     
       9. An apparatus according to claim 7, in which both said first and second sensing elements are located in said circulation path, said first sensing element being located in the inlet region of said filling machine, and said second sensing element being located subsequent thereto. 
     
     
       10. An apparatus according to claim 9, which includes means for subjecting bottles to pressurized gas, said second sensing element being located subsequent to said last mentioned means. 
     
     
       11. An apparatus according to claim 10, in which said registering and storage unit is provided with an erasing device for said marking located on said counting chain of relays after said information receiving station. 
     
     
       12. An apparatus according to claim 11, in which said registering and storage unit is embodied as an endless circulating counting chain of relays. 
     
     
       13. An apparatus according to claim 12, in which said counting chain of relays is adapted to actuate said switching pulse receiving control device and is embodied in an endless circulating manner, said counting chain of relays being provided with an erasing device after said control device for all information received by it. 
     
     
       14. An apparatus according to claim 13, in which said registering and storage unit and said counting chain of relays are embodied as electronic counters having storage capacity. 
     
     
       15. An apparatus according to claim 14, in which at least said registering and storage unit is provided with permanent zero position markings, and which includes a third sensing element arranged prior to entry of bottles into said circulation path of said filling machine and cooperating with said zero position markings. 
     
     
       16. An apparatus according to claim 15, which includes a fourth sensing element located after said third sensing element in said circulation path prior to entry of said bottles, said fourth sensing element, for each filling station, generating a counting pulse signal for said registering and storage unit and for said counting chain of relays. 
     
     
       17. An apparatus according to claim 16, in which said ejection device is provided with a nozzle for generating a temporary air jet for forcing the bottles to be separated-out to the side. 
     
     
       18. An apparatus according to claim 16, in which said ejection device is provided with a cylinder-piston arrangement for pushing bottles to be separated-out laterally out of the row of bottles. 
     
     
       19. An apparatus according to claim 16, in which said ejection device is embodied as a flow diverter having a plurality of laterally adjustable side guide elements for the bottles leaving said filling machine. 
     
     
       20. An apparatus according to claim 16, in which said ejection device is provided with a conveying turntable, with recesses, for rotational movement, with at least two separate bottle guiding paths being provided on the discharge side of said turntable, and suction devices for the bottles to be separated being provided in said turntable recesses and being temporarily actuatable by vacuum. 
     
     
       21. An apparatus according to claim 20, in which said ejection device is arranged in the region of said discharge device of said filling machine. 
     
     
       22. An apparatus according to claim 20, in which said discharge device for receiving bottles from said filling machine is connected directly to a bottle closing machine which is provided with a discharge member, said ejection device being arranged in the vicinity of this discharge member.